Lana Del Rey's Real Name: Elizabeth Woolridge Grant

Quick answer: Lana Del Rey's real name is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant. She was born on June 21, 1985, in New York City and raised in Lake Placid, New York. She earlier released music as Lizzy Grant before adopting the Lana Del Rey persona (Billboard; Library of Congress).

From Lizzy Grant to Lana Del Rey

Grant attended Fordham University in New York and recorded early material under her own name and other short-lived aliases. The 2008/2010 Kill Kill era circulated as Lizzy Grant. She has said she chose "Lana Del Rey" for its cinematic, European-glamour feel — a stage identity built around Americana, melancholy romance and classic Hollywood imagery rather than a legal name change for everyday life. Rights databases list both Grant and Del Rey (LOC NAF).

Breakthrough and major albums

The 2011 video for "Video Games" went viral and led to a Polydor/Interscope deal. Landmark releases include:

• Born to Die (2012) — debuted near the top of the Billboard 200; established her sound.
• Ultraviolence (2014) — produced with Dan Auerbach; reached No. 1 in the US and UK.
• Lust for Life (2017) and Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019) — the latter earned Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy nominations.
• Later albums include Chemtrails Over the Country Club (2021), Blue Banisters (2021) and Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2023) (Billboard).

Writing, marriage and influence

Del Rey has published poetry (Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass) and is widely cited as an influence on 2010s alternative pop. In 2023 Billboard Women in Music gave her the Visionary Award. In 2024 she married Louisiana boat captain Jeremy Dufrene; major outlets covered the wedding as a confirmed event (Billboard / contemporaneous press).